Does living with a pet really make people happier and healthier? What can we learn from biomedical research with mice? Who enjoys a better quality of life—the chicken on a dinner plate or a rooster who dies in a Saturday night cockfight? Why is it wrong to eat the family dog? Drawing on over two decades of research in the emerging field of anthrozoology—the science of human-animal relations—Hal Herzog offers surprising answers to these and other questions related to the moral conundrums we face day in and day out regarding the creatures with whom we share our world.

Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat is a highly entertaining and illuminating journey through the full spectrum of human-animal relations, based on Herzog's groundbreaking research on animal rights activists, cockfighters, professional dog show handlers, veterinary students, and biomedical researchers. Blending anthropology, history, brain science, behavioral economics, evolutionary psychology, and philosophy, Herzog carefully crafts a seamless narrative enriched with real-life anecdotes, scientific research, and his own sense of moral ambivalence.

Alternately poignant, challenging, and laugh-out-loud funny, Herzog's enlightening and provocative book will forever change the way we look at our relationships with other creatures and, ultimately, how we see ourselves. Download and start listening now!

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Quotes & Awards

“Wonderful…An engagingly written book that only seems to
be about animals. Herzog’s deepest questions are about men, women and
children.”

Cleveland Plain Dealer

Insightful, compassionate and humorous.Kirkus

“A fun read…What buoys this book is Herzog’s voice. He’s an assured, knowledgeable and friendly guide.”

Listener Reviews

" I just could not get through this book. It was informative, yet a bit dry and boring. "

Sibyl | 2/8/2014

" Definitely giving me food for thought, pun intended. I have already limited meat severely, but still eat chicken breasts and salmon and tuna. After reading this book, I feel that I may want to further examine my diet again. Just not sure I could maintain a vegan diet, and that is what it would need to be if one chooses the moral alternative for one's diet. "

Tina | 1/29/2014

" This is an interesting book on the contradictory ways we think about animals. Thought-provoking, and a worthwhile read. "

JulieB | 1/28/2014

" Really fasinating! He pointed out so many inconsistencies with how we think about pets, animal rights, lab animals, meat, and how we believe we think logically, but we really aren't sensible at all when it comes to animals. "

Beth | 1/27/2014

" This was a strange book for me. When I started reading it, I thought that anthrozoologist Hal Herzog would ask and answer questions about why humans relate to different types of animals in different ways. By the end of the book, I felt that he was arguing from a premise I simply don't share, and raising questions in a way that implied certain answers. In the second half of the book, he spends a good deal of time talking about the difficulty of being morally consistent in how we look at animals. I don't believe that's entirely true. It is only true if you start from the premise that animals have moral rights that humans are bound to recognize, and are only arguing about what the parameters of those rights are. If you believe that humans are humans, and animals are animals, and there is a very bright and easily distinguished line between them, the consistency issue doesn't really come into play. "

Robyn | 1/25/2014

" Nothing earth-shattering here, but a good read to continue to think about this stuff. "

Christine | 1/18/2014

" This book was good...it left me feeling even more confused about animals then I was before. But since he made such good arguments on both sides I feel okay with being confused on this one and will make my ethical choices plate by plate and pet by pet. "

Trae | 1/16/2014

" I highly recommend this for anyone concerned with animals and how we treat them. "

Ilana | 11/6/2013

" Somewhat repetitive but really makes you think about our relationships with animals. Worth a read if you want more knowledge on the subject. "

Ellie | 10/21/2013

" Not my usual read, but enjoyed it and the facts I learned from it. "

Kathy | 10/15/2013

" Thoroughly researched and thought provoking. Well written and narrated. "

Sasha | 9/9/2013

" A very thought-provoking book that has made me rethink how I consider my relationships with all animals. I am a huge animal lover who, only after reading this book, realised how much I contradict myself. A must read for everyone! "

Jennifer | 7/31/2013

" Great book. Very thought provoking and it really made me question why I feel a certain way about animals. The cock fighting perspective was intriguing "

Julie | 4/10/2013

" Interesting premise, but unable to finish. An entire chapter on cockfighting was a bit much, though informative. Brings together all the research on humans, animals, and culture. "

Steve | 11/19/2012

" Interesting but not profound. Certainly has some flaws, but by and large, it's an okay book. Wasn't as meaningful as I'd hoped. "

Diana | 8/20/2012

" This wasn't so much a cohesive treatise as a collection of anecdotes and studies, but they are still interesting and help illuminate what hypocrites we humans are when it comes to animals of other species. "

William | 6/1/2012

" An enjoyable look at our views on the animals involved in our lives, as pets and as food. A quick read but with enough substance to elicit further thought. "

Catherine | 3/25/2012

" This book really made me think. How we treat animals is not a clear cut issue. I'd recommend it "

Lisa | 3/11/2012

" So far, so good. Think I may have found my focus area for my Anth degree--human & animal interactions. :) "

Rachelle | 5/23/2011

" I recommend to all animal lovers, or even those who aren't. Makes you think about the way we think about them. "

William | 3/28/2011

" An enjoyable look at our views on the animals involved in our lives, as pets and as food. A quick read but with enough substance to elicit further thought.
"

Deb | 3/20/2011

" Great for animal people. Lots to think about and written in a very entertaining way.
"

Nicole | 3/12/2011

" What is the psychology of humans and their pets? What do we think of animals and why?
Interesting book, enjoyed it.
"

Barb | 2/26/2011

" This was a very interesting and well written book. If you have a pet, read this book - if you eat meat, read this book. It's fascinating. It covered ideas I have considered before and more that I've never considered. It's thought provoking and made me want to read more on the subjet.
"

Eric | 2/19/2011

" Herzog opens a discussion on the ethics of animals. He runs the gamut of peoples' diets, cockfighting, animals used in research, and the keeping of pets. With a catchy title like this, I was a bit afraid of a book that some guy just conjured up out of thin air, but this had a lot of substance.
"

Jessica | 2/18/2011

" An interesting look at the psychology about why we think about animals the way we do.
"

About the Author

Hal Herzog is regarded as one of the leading experts on the psychology
of human-animal relations. He is professor of psychology at Western
Carolina University and lives in the Smokey Mountains with his wife Mary
Jean and their cat, Tilly.

About the Narrator

Lauren Ezzo, an Earphones Award-winning narrator, is a commercial voice talent and Chicago–based actor and graduate of Hope College. She has acted in Peppermint Creek Theatre Company’s world premiere of Or You Could Kiss Me. Her narrations have placed her on several “Best of the Year” lists, including AudioFile’s Best Audiobooks of the Year list. In 2018, she was part of a full cast of narrators nominated for the prestigious Audie Award for Best Original Work.

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